Wednesday, March 30, 2016

British
middleweight fighter Nick Blackwell, left, at the SSE Arena, Wembley,
March 26, 2016. Blackwell was placed into an induced coma after the
fight with Chris Eubank Jr, the son of Chris Eubank, right.Adam Holt/Action Images

"The ugly picture of boxer Nick Blackwell’s swollen eye jarred the conscience of a nation.

"In the name of sport a young man has suffered a serious brain bleed
and been placed in an induced coma. With good fortune he will make a
full recovery. But visible injuries and ring deaths are a small
manifestation of boxing’s avoidable damage to the lives of its
participants.

"Boxing
is unique, even above mixed martial arts, in encouraging blows to the
head. Football is another sport that allows damage to brain cells
through heading balls. A football player heads the ball multiple times
each game. A boxer can receive hundreds of blows to the head in a single
bout. It is similar to using a person's head as a football.

"The brain is suspended in the skull like a jelly in a box, held by
strings. A blow causes the brain to strike the walls of the skull. One
neurosurgeon has claimed that 80 per cent
of all boxers have brain scarring as a result of the cumulative effects
of blows. The British Medical Association has said that boxing should
be completely banned.

"If that happened the sport would go subterranean and the health
precautions of the legal activity would disappear. Boxing would revert
to its barbaric 19th century past. The Queensberry rules prohibited
blows below the waist. Armed with our present knowledge that boxers are
as vulnerable to blows above the neck as they are to blows below the
waist, I proposed a parliamentary bill to ban blows to the head as a
sensible first-step reform. It was intended to probe the mood of the
U.K. parliament and the country towards this issue. A favourable
response would have persuaded the government of the day to support the
bill or introduce a similar one of its own."

"Here is another reason to take a break
from texting or talking on your smartphone while walking in New Jersey: a
possible $50 fine.

"A bill proposed this week by Assemblywoman Pamela R. Lampitt (D.,
Camden) would impose a fine of up to $50 and possibly 15 days in jail
for pedestrians caught using their cellphones without hands-free devices
while walking on public sidewalks and along roadways.

"If the bill becomes law, 'petextrians' - people who text while
walking - would face the same penalties as jaywalkers in New Jersey.

"'I see it every single day,' Lampitt said Friday. 'Maybe they will think twice about it.'

"A report released in 2015 by the Governors Highway Safety Association
found an increase in pedestrian fatalities, and cited texting while
walking as partly to blame.

"Since 2009, pedestrian fatalities have increased by 15 percent to
4,735 in 2013, the report said. Nearly two million pedestrian injuries
were related to cellphone use, the report said.

"Another study, from Safe Kids Worldwide, a Washington-based
nonprofit, found that 40 percent of teens said they had been hit or
nearly hit by a car, bike, or motorcycle while walking.

"The survey of more than 1,000 children between ages 13 and 18 found
that 47 percent of those who said they were hit or almost hit were
listening to music, 20 percent were talking on the phone, and 18 percent
were texting, researchers said.

My parents came from "the old country." No circumcision. My dad told me that during the Nazi occupation of his homeland, if you were circumcised and the Nazis spotted it, you were assumed to be a Jew and sent off to a concentration camp. Now that's a damn good reason not to get circumcised. Or, if you are, don't use public restrooms where prying eyes lurk.

"Donald Trump says he wants to study a petition that calls for allowing the open carry of guns at the Republican convention this July in Cleveland.

"While proclaiming himself "' very, very strong person for Second Amendment,' the Republican front-runner told ABC's This Week that 'I have not seen the petition. I want to see what it says. I want to read the fine print.'

"Posted on the website change.org,
the petition of unknown origin notes that 'though Ohio is an open carry
state, which allows for the open carry of guns, the hosting venue
-- the Quicken Loans Arena -- strictly forbids the carry of firearms on their premises.'

"That 'is a direct affront to the Second Amendment and puts all attendees at
risk,' said the petition that has more than 34,000 signers.

"The
other Republican presidential candidates -- Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and
Ohio Gov. John Kasich -- have not commented on the open carry petition.

"The
name of the group purportedly behind the effort — Americans for
Responsible Open Carry — does not appear anywhere else online and
accepts online message only from networked supporters, the Akron Beacon Journal reported.

"The Ohio Republican Party said it was not aware of the petition, the Journal reported,
nor was the host committee overseeing the convention, although it noted
that the Secret Service, in conjunction with Cleveland, Cuyahoga County and state and federal authorities, is handling security for the event.

"'They
are coordinating and will be continuously refining security plans
leading up to the national convention,' said Alee Lockman, a
spokesperson for the Republican National Convention, the Journal says.

"In 2012, firearms were banned by the Secret Service at the Republican convention in Tampa.

"This is a documentary based on the corruption inside of the Justice system of Racine Wisconsin. This documentary shines the light on the Corruption of Attorney Mark Nielsen, Judge Jude, DA Patricia Hanson, Judge Gaskiorkiewicz, The Racine Sheriff Department and more....
BEFORE YOU VOTE! YOU MUST SEE!!!"
Read more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxGRCeKRa1s

Saturday, March 26, 2016

"The Publisher of The Journal Times, Mark Lewis, has bent over backwards
been more than gracious in allowing Racine Mayor John Dickert to
publish his editorials in the newspaper. In addition, The Journal Times
is a valuable source of information and the cities newspaper of record.
It is unfathomable to think that Racine Mayor John Dickert does NOT read
the newspaper, but then again John Dickert is no paragon of virtue.
Oddly enough, despite showing such contempt for The Journal Times, along
with setting a bad example for Racine Residents, John Dickert shares
the distinction, along with Mark Lewis, of being a sitting member on
many local boards of importance, to include RCEDC and RAMAC."

Praying for death again. This happens when my life becomes shittier than usual.

My early AA training brought me back to some simple prayer each night. I say the Lord's Prayer. And AA's third step prayer. Plus a little prayer of my own: "I love You, I thank You, I trust You." But I can't really trust anybody. Situations occur in which it would seem provident to trust. Most often, though, not.

In AA I found a way to quiet "the committee" in my head: I simply repeat prayer over and over and over to drown out "the committee." It worked great and my life improved considerably, mostly because I wasn't drinking. I remember sitting in AA meetings and talking about when I hit bottom, I prayed for death. It wasn't supposed to happen anymore.

Unfortunately, my mother's needs destroyed the life I had built in AA and turned me back into a resentful animal. It was very difficult to care for her because she didn't do much to care for me as a child. I still stay sober through prayer, but my life has deteriorated considerably. To be blunt, I want out. I can't off myself until after November or my life insurance won't pay face value, only refund premiums. So when it gets this bad, I ask to be taken, repeatedly. Again, this repetition drowns out other stuff.

I feel obligated to no one but Charlie. I would love to find a good home for him before I die. But if I die in my sleep or of a heart attack or whatever, I won't have any say over what happens to Charlie. I figure if I trust the Lord enough to take me, then I trust Him to take care of Charlie. I also don't care if my ultimate destination is hell. I'm already living there.

If I survive past November, then I can make arrangements for Charlie before I punch out.

My life is shit and has been shit for so long that I'm getting used to the taste of shit sandwiches. I'm tired of busting my ass to make ends meet. I sink further and further into debt because my income is fixed, but all other costs are rising. I can find no employment that I'm suited to. Fuck, I'm a physical wreck. 64 years old, half blind, serious mental health issues, serious digestive tract issues, serious arthritis, and, thanks to my idiocy, serious kidney disease. In fact, all of my health problems are self-inflicted. It's obvious I hate myself, hurting myself repeatedly.

I just can't handle life on these terms. When I was working in landscape, I was one of the happiest people on earth. I loved the hard labor. It was all part of the new life I had built in AA.

That life is gone now, shattered into a million pieces. I hang on, but it just gets worse and worse. If I survive into old age, I have no children to take care of me. My family is dead. And if there is half a chance of seeing them again in an afterlife, I'll go for it. As dysfunctional as my family was, I miss them terribly. Not a day goes by that I don't shed tears for them.

So, I'll continue to pray for death. It's the only option I have left. And if it gets much worse, fuck the life insurance and I'll check out. I don't need an obituary or funeral or showing of any kind. Just cremate me and toss the ashes. My depression deepens and won't let up. And my psychiatrist, the one person I felt bonded to concerning my mental illness, is retiring.

Friday, March 25, 2016

The study also found those with spiritual beliefs were more empathetic than those without

"Humans suppress areas of the brain used for analytical thinking and
engage the parts responsible for empathy in order to believe in god,
research suggests."They do the opposite when thinking about the physical world, according to the study."'When there's a question of faith,
from the analytic point of view, it may seem absurd,' said Professor
Tony Jack, who led the research. "'But, from what we understand about
the brain, the leap of faith to belief in the supernatural amounts to
pushing aside the critical/analytical way of thinking to help us achieve
greater social and emotional insight.'"

"Two months ago, Stephen Hawking warned humanity that its days may be numbered:
the physicist was among over 1,000 artificial intelligence experts who
signed an open letter about the weaponization of robots and the ongoing 'military artificial intelligence arms race.' "Overnight we got a vivid example of just how quickly 'artificial
intelligence' can spiral out of control when Microsoft's AI-powered
Twitter chat robot, Tay, became a racist, misogynist, Obama-hating,
antisemitic, incest and genocide-promoting psychopath when released into
the wild. "For those unfamiliar, Tay is, or rather was, an A.I. project built by
the Microsoft Technology and Research and Bing teams, in an effort to
conduct research on conversational understanding. It was meant to be a
bot anyone can talk to online. The company described the bot as 'Microsoft’s A.I. fam the internet that’s got zero chill!.'"Microsoft initially created 'Tay' in an effort to improve the customer service on its voice recognition software. According to MarketWatch,
'she' was intended to tweet 'like a teen girl' and was designed to
'engage and entertain people where they connect with each other online
through casual and playful conversation.' "The chat algo is able to perform a number of tasks, like telling
users jokes, or offering up a comment on a picture you send her, for
example. But she’s also designed to personalize her interactions with
users, while answering questions or even mirroring users’ statements
back to them. "This is where things quickly turned south. "As Twitter users quickly came to understand, Tay would often repeat
back racist tweets with her own commentary. Where things got even more
uncomfortable is that, as TechCrunch reports,
Tay’s responses were developed by a staff that included improvisational
comedians. That means even as she was tweeting out offensive racial
slurs, she seemed to do so with abandon and nonchalance.

I
think this is utterly hilarious. Read the rest of the article and see
more of Tay's comments. They should have put a white robe and hood on
Tay. Big embarrassment for Microsoft. How would you like a bunch of
armed robots roaming around with Tay's personality? Terminator, here we
come.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

"Fresno, CA - The family of a mentally ill
man shot seven times and killed by Fresno police in September filed a
lawsuit against the Fresno Police Department on Wednesday, and their
lawyers released a graphic video they say shows the police body cam
footage of the shooting at a news conference Thursday.

"The video appears to show two Fresno police officers, identified in the
lawsuit as Zebulon Price and Felipe Miguel Lucero, exit their car,
identify themselves and yell for Freddy Centeno, 40, to get on the
ground. They then fire nine shots – seven of which hit Centeno. The time
between them getting out of the car and firing their weapons is a few
seconds.

"Fresno police Chief Jerry Dyer told The Bee that the video he reviewed
showed the officers giving Centeno multiple commands. It also showed
Centeno reach into his waistband and pull out the garden hose nozzle. He
will hold a news conference Thursday and is considering releasing the
police body cam footage, which is normally against department policy.

"The video released by the lawyers includes narration and a slow-motion
replay of the shooting, which shows the ninth shot was fired while
Centeno was already falling down from the first wounds.

"The shooting occurred around 11 a.m. on Sept. 3. Centeno was in a coma for 23 days before dying on Sept. 26.

"Police had received several calls from neighbors saying a shirtless man
had threatened them with what appeared to be a gun. The department was
aware of Centeno’s mental illness, but Price and Lucero were not, Fresno
police Lt. Mark Salazar said at the time.

"Centeno family attorney Humberto Guizar said that Centeno was holding
the black garden hose nozzle at the time of the shooting, but that the
violent and hasty response by officers was well beyond their legal
limits."

"Donald Trump has inspired a gaping
regional divide among Republican voters in Wisconsin, reflecting many of
the fault lines plaguing the GOP today."In an upside-down version of a traditional campaign, the Republican
front-runner is immensely unpopular in the reddest part of the state —
the outer suburbs and exurbs that ring Milwaukee."These are the party’s bedrock counties: Waukesha, Washington and
Ozaukee. They typically dictate the outcome of GOP primaries like the
one Wisconsin will hold for president April 5. And in fall elections,
they’re arguably the best-performing Republican counties in America."But GOP voters in these counties dislike Trump by a very large margin. In extensive polling by the Marquette University Law School, 25% view him positively and 64% view him negatively, for a 'net favorability' — in his own party — of 'minus 39.'"The picture is dramatically different at the other end of the state,
in the small cities, towns and countryside of northern and western
Wisconsin."Here Trump’s favorability score is 'plus 21' among Republicans: 53% view him positively and 32% view him negatively."This geographic chasm reflects some of the key voting patterns seen
in other states this year, including Trump’s strength in struggling
white communities and his appeal to blue-collar Republicans."

"RACINE — A Mount
Pleasant man inked a plea agreement on Tuesday, seven months after he
was accused of having sex with a 13-year-old girl he met online.

"During
a plea hearing on Tuesday, Salvador Q. Escobedo, 23, pleaded guilty to
second-degree sexual assault of a child. The plea deal means Escobedo
faces potentially more time behind bars than he has been alive, and his
defense attorney, Patrick Cafferty, said he would have to register as a
sex offender for life after he is sentenced this summer.

"The
charge is punishable by a maximum of 25 years behind bars and up to 15
years on extended supervision. But as part of the plea agreement, Racine
County Assistant District Attorney Dirk Jensen said he will recommend
that Escobedo be sentenced to whatever amount of time is proposed by a
Wisconsin Department of Corrections agent who will evaluate Escobedo
before his sentencing.

"But Circuit Judge John Jude warned he’s not bound by recommendations made by Jensen, the agent or Cafferty.

"'I can impose whatever penalty I think is appropriate, including up to the maximum time,' Jude said."

"Disrupt Aging
is an invitation to choose how you live and age, a guide for anyone who
wants to continue exploring possibilities, to celebrate discovery over
decline, and to seek out opportunities to live the best life there is to live."I want people who read it to see what all of us at AARP see, that at a
time when individuals should be basking in the glorious gift of longer,
healthier lives,
we are surrounded by negative images of aging. These images, and the
fears of growing older that they inspire, are overdue for an overhaul.
In my fantasy, every reader will be moved to become a disruptor of
aging, creating a mass movement to shake up outdated beliefs, change the
conversation about what it means to get older today, and spark new
solutions so more people can choose how they want to live and age.Disrupt Aging: The Book — A bold new path to living your best life at every age »"In tackling this social mission, I’ve grabbed the baton that AARP’s founder, Ethel Percy Andrus,
passed to each of us who has had the honor of leading AARP. Ethel was a
wonder, and she was one of the original disruptors of aging. She said,
way back in 1962: 'This is a country where it is wonderful to be young.
It must also become a country where it is wonderful to be old.' At that
time, she’d already hurled herself into making it happen, with the
creation of AARP one of her most important contributions."We’ve made enormous progress since Ethel’s day, but not enough to
bridge the gap between what people would like aging to be like, and
what’s holding them back from achieving their vision. They want to be self-sufficient,
stay active, build intimacy with family and friends, and just have fun.
But they are being constrained by the dominant cultural view of aging
as a process of deterioration, dependency, reduced potential, family
dispersal, and digital incompetence."AARP took part in a study that concluded 'these deep and negative
shared understandings make … aging something to be dreaded and fought
against, rather than embraced as a process that brings new opportunities
and challenges for individuals and society.'"It’s time we put a stop to this dusty old thinking and replace it
with more accurate, up-to-the minute ideas. Aging has changed, and it’s
important to understand where we are today, where we must go, and how to
take advantage of the incredible opportunities we now have to change
the way we live our lives for the better."As CEO of AARP, as a daughter, wife, and mother, as a woman rejoicing
in my vintage, I want to be judged by who I am, and what I do – not by
how old I am."Most people turning 50 today can expect to live another 30-plus
years. That’s more time than they spent in childhood and in adolescence,
and for many, it’s more time than they spent working."Our ability to live longer, healthier, more productive lives is one
of mankind’s greatest accomplishments. I invite you to join us in this Disrupt Aging journey."

Saturday, March 19, 2016

HELP, HOPE , HEALING
You are not alone
SOLOS-Survivors of Loved Ones Suicide
Support Group

NAMI RACINE COUNTY will be holding a support group for
adults at the AURORA MEDICAL BUILDING
Located at 8400 Washington Avenue – EAST building Parking in back lot.
Enter at the Walk-In Clinic

Signs will guide you to the support group
March 9th and March 23rd
April 13th and April 27th
May 11th and May 25th
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Please contact NAMI Racine County for questions on support group at 262-637-0582 or 262-637-6200

"Fiocchi 125 gr. 357 magnums. Six rounds in a little under 5
seconds, in a 12″x12″ target 10 yards away from a ready position and
ohmigod I can’t believe I’m that slow.

"I went up shooting with Cousin Jimmy a few weeks ago and tried a fast
draw-n-shoot and thoroughly blew it. Two years ago I was doing it from a
draw in just over 4 seconds and nowadays I can barely do 6 in 5.

By Terry Spencer, Associated Press"Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — When the editor of a gay-oriented
newspaper in Florida requested records that he thought should be public,
he cast a wide net, asking that the email of every employee of the
Broward County Sheriff's Office be searched for specific gay slurs over a
five-month period."The sheriff's office initially told Jason Parsley that his request
would cost $399,000, take four years and require the hiring of a
dedicated staffer. The response set off a public-records marathon that
lasted nearly a year. The Associated Press featured Parsley's effort
last year during Sunshine Week, a national government-transparency
initiative that takes place each March, and then decided to join forces
with his newspaper, the South Florida Gay News."The goal was to determine whether such police emails were indeed
public and, if so, how the public and media could obtain them in a
timely and cost-efficient way."After making multiple records request to four Florida law enforcement
agencies, the two news organizations have at least a partial answer,
which could provide a blueprint for other news organizations reporting
on police accountability."As law enforcement agencies have come under increased scrutiny in
recent years, media organizations, watchdog groups and others have
become more vigilant about filing public-records requests for emails and
documents, particularly after police shootings. Police agencies have
not always complied, and those that do sometimes put up obstacles,
charging fees that many open-government advocates say are excessive and
aimed at keeping hidden information that should be public."'They throw up ridiculous costs, ridiculous delays as a roadblock,'
said Barbara Petersen, head of Florida's First Amendment Foundation. 'If
you throw out a humongous number, the person is going to walk away,'
particularly private citizens who often do not have the money to hire
lawyers or the know-how to challenge inflated fees."In many states, including Florida, government agencies can waive
records fees if they deem releasing the information in the public
interest. While it is routine for media organizations and others to seek
such waivers, it is rare for agencies to grant them."Other examples of excessive fees abound in Florida and elsewhere."

"Madison— A bill to help anguished parents get a child seizure
treatment failed to get a vote amid Tuesday's hastily adjourned Senate
session, even though a strong majority of senators support the proposal.

"Three top GOP senators successfully blocked the bill, which
would have made it easier to get a drug that is derived from marijuana
and used to treat children who suffer from severe seizures and have few
other medical options.

"Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald
(R-Juneau) stymied a floor vote on the legislation Tuesday by scheduling
a hearing on the bill and then canceling it on Wednesday. Bills can't
be brought to the floor if they have a hearing pending.

"Fitzgerald,
who indicated he would have voted for the bill himself, said he used
the parliamentary rule to keep other GOP senators from having to vote
against a bill that they support.

"When Democrats tried to take a
two-thirds vote to override that rule, Fitzgerald abruptly adjourned the
Senate before the vote could be held. The action drew sharp criticism
Wednesday from the bill's bipartisan supporters, including Sen. Van
Wanggaard (R-Racine) and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester).

"'They
should use actual facts to explain why they are blocking the will and
hope of parents statewide,' Wanggaard said of the bill's opponents.

"Ian
Linnabary, the board secretary for the Rockford Board of Fire and
Police Commissioners, confirmed that Howell is one of three finalists
for the opening vacated by Chester Epperson in November 2015.

"Linnabary also confirmed that
Rockford Assistant Deputy Chief Doug Pann and Elgin, Illinois Operations
Bureau Commander Daniel O'Shea are the other two finalists for the
position.

"Howell became Racine's first black police chief in April 2012.

"The Journal Times will update this story as more information becomes available."

"Relatives of a teenaged home invader who was killed
by a homeowner while seemingly exiting the home he had broken into are
asking observers to consider the mentality of of children “raised in the
hood.”

"17-year-old
Trevon Johnson was shot and killed after the 54-year-old woman
homeowner was alerted to his crime via a home surveillance system. After
arriving at her home, she witnessed Johnson exiting a window of her
house. There was then a confrontation in which Johnson was shot once.
Police arrived on the scene within seconds and applied CPR. After being
rushed to the hospital, Johnson was pronounced dead.

"Seemingly
justifying her relative’s commission of burglary, Johnson’s cousin
Nautika Harris suggested it was the only way through which he could
obtain money.

"'You
have to understand, you have to look at it from a child's point of view
that was raised in the hood. How he gonna get his money to have clothes
to go to school?' asked Harris.

"'I don't care if she have her gun license, her rights, or any of that,' said Harris. 'That is way beyond law. Way beyond.'"

"The nation's top federal health agency urged doctors to avoid
prescribing powerful opiate painkillers for patients with chronic pain,
saying the risks from such drugs far outweigh the benefits for most
people.

"The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its first ever guidelines
for dispensing the morphine-like, addictive drugs, such as Vicodin and
OxyContin, said it took the action Tuesday to combat the nation's deadly
prescription painkiller epidemic.

"The
guidelines carve out an exception for patients receiving cancer
treatment or end-of-life care. When doctors determine that such drugs
are necessary in other situations, the CDC advises doctors prescribe the
lowest possible dose for the shortest amount of time.

"About 40
Americans die each day from overdosing on prescription painkillers,
according to the CDC. In 2013, an estimated 1.9 million people abused or
were dependent on prescription opiates.

"'We
know of no other medication routinely used for a nonfatal condition
that kills patients so frequently,' said CDC director Thomas Frieden. 'We hope to see fewer deaths from opiates. That's the bottom
line. These are really dangerous medications that carry the risk of
addiction and death.'

"The CDC directed the guidelines to primary
care physicians, who prescribe nearly half of opiates. Doctors aren't
legally obligated to follow the recommendations, which are intended for
adult patients, but such directives often have influence."

The
Center for Disease Control once again shows its ignorance about
addiction. Doesn't anyone else think the rise in heroin use is tied to
previous CDC attempts to curb opiate painkillers? People will get
their drugs, one way or another. In my opinion, initiatives like these
do more harm than good by forcing more people to use street drugs to
treat their pain.

"According to a police report, Jason Dalton told
authorities, 'it feels like it is coming from the phone itself' and he
didn't know how to describe that. He also described something 'like an
artificial presence,' the report said.

"Dalton is charged with murder and attempted murder in the
Kalamazoo-area shootings Feb. 20 outside an apartment complex, a
restaurant and at a car lot. Two people survived. Investigators say
Dalton didn't know the victims and described the shootings as 'random.'
They still are trying to determine a motive. A judge earlier this month
ordered Dalton to undergo a mental competency exam.

"The details
are in documents released by the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety
and Kalamazoo County sheriff's office in response to public records
requests by The Associated Press and others.

"Police
said in the report that Dalton said 'he is not a killer and he knows
that he has killed.' Dalton added it's 'scary' because he 'isn't sure
how much he had or had not done,' and was afraid 'that maybe he could've
killed his family,' according to the report."

Friday, March 11, 2016

"HOUSTON - A Houston area man has come forward to
talk about his involvement with the global hacker group Anonymous and
why he severed all ties with the elusive organization.

"Mike Jones
claims to be an original member of an organization that, over the years,
been credited with cyber-attacks on government institutions, large
corporations and terrorist groups.

"'We were looking for new ways, new ways of thinking,' Jones said.

"Jones
said the initial idea that led to the formation of the group was 'injustice.' Jones said many of the original members were spurred by a
belief the federal government had become overly intrusive into the
average citizen's life following the Sept. 11 attacks and unethical
practices by corporate America.

"'After 9-11 there was a swing of
taking people's civil liberties. There was a knockdown of people's
rights and there was a fight for gaining that back,' Jones said. 'We
kind of got together, put our heads together and labeled ourselves,
basically, freedom fighters. They were aimed at people and organizations
that we felt were on the wrong side of the law to begin with.'

"'While
you use the words 'freedom fighters,' others out there use the word,
'criminal.' Do you consider yourself a criminal?' Channel 2's Robert
Arnold asked.

"'No, I don't,' Jones said.

"'You have broken laws that are on the books. Is that not correct or do you disagree with that?' asked Arnold.

"'I don't disagree, but at the time those laws weren't created. They used us as a way to form new laws,' Jones said.

"At
this point in reading if your mental image of Jones is one of a rebel
sitting in a dark room lurking on the Internet, consider that he is a
husband, father and decorated veteran. Jones enlisted in the Navy during
the first Iraq war and re-enlisted after the attacks on 9-11.

"'I
went into military intelligence after 9-11,' said Jones. 'There was
definitely an intelligence gap, and that's where I wanted to be.'

"Jones
said his work with Anonymous started after he left the Navy and while
he would not share specific details of some the group's exploits, he
said some of what he and the collective did was expose weaknesses in
computer systems that can affect the general public.

"'Looking at systems for vulnerabilities is something that helps all of us,' Jones said.

"'Why should you be allowed to, I guess, to just poke around in the dark and see if you can get in?' asked Arnold.

"'The
way I look at it is, either I can test it or the Chinese can. Would you
rather me test it or someone from China or North Korea test it?' said
Jones.

"Jones said his reasons for distancing and ultimately
leaving Anonymous were threefold. The first was seeing friends sent to
prison under, what at the time, were newly created cyber-laws.

"'They
held us to almost a terrorist level. Matter of fact they called it
cyber-terrorism,' Jones said. 'I think that made a lot of us feel like
less than citizens. When I look at my kids, jail is not somewhere I want
to be.'

"The second reason is Jones said he feels like the original intent of Anonymous has become diluted.

"'The
idea is disappearing. Guys are buying Anonymous masks at Party City,
they're running through the streets and starting fires with the
Anonymous mask on, that's not who we are,' said Jones. 'The idea was a
pure idea and it was not physical or life-threatening.'

"The third
reason was fear of jeopardizing what has become a successful career in
the private sector: using skills honed in the underground to help shore
up weaknesses in our country's cyber infrastructure, as well as the
technology we use in our homes. Jones said after leaving the military,
many private-sector companies were hiring people with his particular
skill set.

"'Hiring people like me to defend against what we know
is out there. It's there, the threat is real,' said Jones.

"'They only
way really to know their vulnerabilities and the threat to their
companies was to find people like me, that were already there, that were
willing to work for an honest paycheck, but also keep their head in the
underground.'

"'Why reveal yourself at this point?' asked Arnold.

"'At this point it's not a coming out, it's a walking away,' said Jones. 'I'm walking away from Anonymous.'

"Jones
said publicly talking about his past involvement with the group will
also hopefully remove future questions about where his allegiances lie.

"While
KPRC could not concretely prove or disprove Jones' involvement with
Anonymous, we were able to verify his Naval record and his work in the
private sector. KPRC also reached out to Anonymous through a pair of
Twitter accounts but did not receive a response.

"KPRC also spoke with University of Houston cyber-security expert Dr. Chris Bronk.

"'You know this is not an organization that gives out a membership card,' Bronk said.

"'Would it surprise you to see one of the original guys coming out and talking like this?' asked Arnold.

"'I'm
not surprised at all. I have a good friend who was part of the 'Cult of
the Dead Cow' hacker group, which was very big in the 90s and he's very
legit now,' said Bronk. 'Does anyone want to be a revolutionary
forever? Probably not.'

"Bronk also echoed some of the points Jones made regarding a dilution of Anonymous' original message.

"'Infringement
on the Anonymous brand became a serious problem for the organization
pretty quickly as it rose to power,' Bronk said. 'We had no way of
knowing, "Are these guys true Anonymous confederates, or are these guys
who can put up a YouTube video with a good Guy Fawkes mask that you can
buy at any party store?"'

"Bronk added it is no longer uncommon for
those who acquired skills in the digital sub-culture to later find
legitimate work as penetration testers.

"'It's a career where you can make a lot of money,' Bronk said.

"Bronk
said part of our country's defense also now depends on finding people
who can help safeguard against cyber-attacks and intrusions.

"'Hacker power is real. It's part of the overall mix of power on the planet today,' Bronk said.

"This
month the Department of Defense launched the 'Hack the Pentagon'
initiative. According to federal officials, the DoD is inviting vetted
hackers to 'test the department's cybersecurity' under a pilot program. A
March 2 news release reads, 'The bug bounty program is modeled after
similar competitions conducted by some of the nation's biggest
companies.'

"CHICAGO — Donald J. Trump
abruptly canceled a large rally here on Friday night as scuffles and
shouting matches erupted on the arena floor between large groups of his
supporters and protesters angered by his campaign.

"Cable
news networks broadcast live scenes of chaos inside the arena that
showed people on both sides screaming at, punching and shoving each
other.

"At
one point a protester clambered onstage and stood behind the speaker’s
podium ripping up a campaign sign until security pulled him away.

"In
an interview two hours before the rally was set to begin, Mr. Trump
gave no indication of the cancellation. He said that he was en route to
the Chicago event but that he had been told it might be 'rough' in terms
of protests.

"The
protests at Mr. Trump’s rallies have increased and so has the pushback
surrounding them. One protester in North Carolina this week was
sucker-punched by a rally attendee. Mr. Trump, the front-runner in the
race for the Republican presidential nomination, has insisted that he
does not condone the violence but has said that in the 'good old days'
protesters were roughed up to keep them in line.

"Trump
supporters, some of whom had waited in the stands here for hours,
appeared stunned by what had happened, and some shouted at members of
the news media and the vocal group of protesters.

"Mr. Trump said he decided to cancel the event because 'people would have been potentially very badly hurt.'

"'I don’t want to see people hurt,' he said in an interview with Chris Matthews on MSNBC.

"Still, Mr. Trump portrayed the disruption as a sign of a troubled country and a violation of his supporters’ rights.

"'You can’t even have a rally in a major city in this country anymore without violence or potential violence,; he said.

"'Whatever
happened to freedom of speech?' he asked. 'Whatever happened to the
right to get together and speak in a very peaceful manner?'"

Men in Black

Kay: A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow.

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